13 Perfect 'Murder on the Orient Express' Casting Choices
Have you heard that Kenneth Branagh is in talks to direct a new version of Agatha Christie's "Murder on the Orient Express"? Well, he is... and we're pumped! With that in mind, we assembled a dream cast for the new MOTOE, listing them alongside their 1974 counterparts -- you know, for comparison's sake.
Daniel Day-Lewis as Hercule Poirot (Originally Played by Albert Finney)
One of the most famous fictional detectives in history, Hercule Poirot appears in more than 30 Agatha Christie novels and short stories. Albert Finney had the herculean task of playing the brilliant fifty-something Belgian while in his thirties. Though Daniel Day-Lewis is the right age, we can’t think of any actor at any age we’d rather have stimulate “our little grey cells” than this transformative powerhouse and three-time Oscar winner. If we go the Finney-ish route (a man in his 30s playing older), we’d love to see what Michael Fassbender would do with the iconic role. Who says Hercule Poirot can’t be brilliant, annoying… and a little sexy? Alternate: Michael Fassbender
Sigourney Weaver as Lila Hubbard (Originally Played by Lauren Bacall)
As the loquacious grande dame, Lila Hubbard needs style, strength, and sophistication; plus she always seems to be at the sinister center of things. Several names come to mind: Streep, Close, Lange. But we'd love to see the equally-qualified Sigourney Weaver, a kick-ass action star to be sure, bring her considerable class, intelligence and humor ("Working Girl," anyone?) to this manor-born matriarch. Alternate: Jessica Lange
Meryl Streep as Greta (Originally Played by Ingrid Bergman)
Though the film received five other nominations, Ingrid Bergman won an Oscar (Best Supporting Actress) for her portrayal in the 1974 version of "Orient Express." La Streep could play several of the female roles including Mrs. Hubbard (and maybe a couple of the males), but we’d love to see her sink her teeth into the less glamorous but no less showy pain and pathos of the timid, secretive Greta.
Christoph Waltz as Ratchett (Originally Played by Richard Widmark)
Three words: Love. To. Hate. No one makes it easier to despise him (while admiring his malevolence) than two-time Oscar winner Christoph Waltz. While he may not have deserved to be stabbed to death (12 times), Mr. Ratchett, we discover, was a very bad man who did very bad things. Incidentally, "One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest" fans, was anyone nice ever named Ratchett?
Emilia Clarke as Countess Andrenyi (Originally Played by Jacqueline Bisset)
Young, beautiful and potentially dangerous. On "Game of Thrones," Emilia Clarke has shown she can be all of these things. But wait until you see her Count…
Kit Harington as Count Andrenyi (Originally Played by Michael York)
Don’t think it’s just because we want to see Daenerys end up with Jon Snow. We just think they make a beautiful, exotic, potentially-lethal young couple. As with "Game of Thrones," on the Orient Express, youth doesn’t necessarily mean “innocence.”
Viola Davis as Mary Debenham (Originally Played by Vanessa Redgrave)
Two-time Oscar nominee How to Get Away With Murder," so she’d be perfect as cool and calm Mary Debenham. But if she’s innocent, why does Mary get so flustered when Poirot asks her about the hushed conversation that he overheard between her and Colonel Arbuthnot? Alternate: Cate Blanchett
Liam Neeson as Col. Arbuthnot (Originally Played by Sean Connery)
Who doesn’t want to see Liam Neeson as a military man, shouting down Hercule Poirot and protecting Ms. Debenham, Viola Davis, who he secretly loves. He tries to cover up their hushed conversation that Poirot overheard too, but is he covering up murder as well? Alternate: Denzel Washington
Bryan Cranston as Pierre (Originally Played by Jean-Pierre Cassel)
We know Breaking Bad." Pierre, the train conductor with a hidden sadness, is secretive, but is he scheming and willing to kill, like Walter White? Cranston is our pick for the mysterious conductor.
Glenn Close as Princess Dragomiroff (Originally Played by Wendy Hiller)
The Princess Dragomiroff is a tight-lipped, icy suspect, and Glenn Close has certainly created several portraits of villainy that chill the blood. The Princess is also haughty and dismissive -- qualities Close can embody to great effect -- and if she’s a murderer, Close can do that, too.
Gwendoline Christie as Hildegarde Schmidt (Originally Played by Rachel Roberts)
On "Game of Thrones," we know Gwendoline Christie’s Brienne of Tarth as a pillar of strength and loyalty. In MOTOE, Hildegarde is fiercely loyal to her “lady,” the Princess Dragomiroff. But how loyal is she? To what lengths will she go? Plus, she looks exactly like Rachel Roberts, who played the role in 1974.
Morgan Freeman as Beddoes (Originally Played by John Gielgud)
We can’t think of anyone we’d rather see as Ratchett’s world-weary valet than Oscar-winner Morgan Freeman. Like the great John Gielgud in the 1974 version, Freeman could simultaneously convey dignity and grace as well as disgust with his reprehensible employer. He is believable as a good man in the service of an evil one... or perhaps, a less good man with a hidden agenda.
Benedict Cumberbatch as McQueen (Originally Played by Anthony Perkins)
McQueen, Ratchett’s secretary, appears to be nervous and weak, at the mercy of his employer’s barbs and insults. But strength often belies weakness, and perhaps McQueen --Benedict Cumberbatch, a master of the multifaceted performance -- had a reason to take this crappy job and off his boss himself?
